Everything happens for a reason. There was a reason you got a D on your math test, and there was a reason your goldfish died when you were six. There is also a reason marijuana was made illegal in 1937; it is dangerous, plain and simple.

One of the most controversial questions on the ballot in this year's election is Question 9, whether or not a person over the age of 21 should be able to possess up to three ounces of marijuana legally. Three ounces of marijuana would make 255 joints! That is ridiculous and unsafe. Not only is it endangering the lives of all who smoke it, but it is also hazardous to those who do not smoke it.

It is illegal to drink and drive, but people do it anyway. They cause thousands of accidents each year and kill thousands of people. They think that they are not that drunk, so it is okay to drive. Will marijuana smokers have the same mentality about driving under the influence?

If marijuana is legalized, people will smoke it and drive; that is inevitable. After smoking marijuana, short-term side affects can still occur up to 24-hours after an experience with pot. Studies of patients in a shock-trauma unit who had been in car accidents showed that 15 percent of those who had been driving had been smoking marijuana, and 17 percent had THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) and alcohol in their blood. Not only are they harming themselves, they are hurting and killing innocent children, teens and adults. If Question 9 passes, people will think it is "okay" to smoke, and they won’t wait long enough after smoking to drive.

Another question on people’s minds related to smoking and driving is, since there is a breathalyzer test for drunk driving, is there a test that immediately checks a person’s marijuana level? If not, then how will police officers be able to tell if a driver has the drug in his or her system?

Marijuana contains over 400 dangerous chemicals. The main mind-altering ingredient is THC. Most ordinary marijuana has three percent THC. Other, more potent types of drugs that come from the hemp plant, like hash oil, contain 43 percent THC. This chemical can stay in your system for more than three months. THC is a fat-soluble substance that clings to fat cells and stays there until your body flushes it out.

There are more carcinogens (cancer-causing agents) in marijuana than in cigarettes. Many people believe that tobacco is less harmful than marijuana because both have around the same number of chemicals in them. That is false. According to everydaywarriors.com, the chemicals in marijuana are more concentrated than in tobacco products.

The amount of marijuana smoke inhaled in every puff is two-thirds larger than an average puff of a tobacco cigarette. Marijuana smoke is inhaled deeper into the lungs, and held there up to four times longer than cigarette smoke. These long puffs force a rapid absorption of THC by the lungs, damaging lungs more than cigarettes do. From smoking a single joint, hundreds of chemicals enter the body affecting the nervous system, specifically targeting the brain.

Pot claims innocent victims too. Marijuana can cause harmful side affects to unborn children whose mothers smoke it while pregnant. It can cause miscarriages, birth defects, low birth weight, and physical and mental abnormalities such as mental retardation.

Being under the influence of drugs and alcohol has led to numerous people having unwanted sexual experiences. Being inebriated causes impaired judgment, making you think you are ready for a sexual experience. More than 15 percent of college students who were high while encountering a sexual experience wish they could take it back. The number of unwanted pregnancies could rise if marijuana is legalized.

The next question on many people’s minds is "If marijuana is made legal, what is next?" Alcohol, marijuana and tobacco are gateway drugs. It has been shown that they can lead to other drugs such as cocaine, heroin, meth, ecstasy and LSD. People who take other drugs may try to find a reason to make those drugs legal by using the same excuses pot smokers are using now: The police have more significant things to be focusing on, and the taxes on selling pot legally in stores can make Nevada money. By legalizing marijuana, Nevada voters may be opening a can of worms.

Three ounces of marijuana is a large amount. How will Nevada police officers enforce this law? At what cost? What will keep a person from going to one store and buying three ounces and then going to a different store and buying three more ounces? How many more judges will Nevada need to issue search warrants to determine if a person suspected of having more than three ounces of marijuana really is breaking the law? Also, how many officers will be needed to enforce the ban on driving under the influence and at what cost? Because it will cost more to hire additional cops to focus on the new problems produced by legalizing pot, the "increased tax revenue" excuse of people who are "pro-pot" was not thought out well enough.

After looking at both sides of the "great debate" on the marijuana issue, you will recognize that there are more reasons to vote against it than there are to vote for it. Marijuana is a dangerous substance that can cause death to both the smoker and nonsmokers. After reading this article, I hope you realize what an abysmal decision it would be to make marijuana legal. Do the right thing and tell everyone you know to vote No on Question 9.

-Return to October 2002 Issue-